Woman tells of abuse aged six by teacher

A woman, sexually abused from the age of six by a teacher at a "cult-like" Pentecostal primary school in Victoria, cried as she told a national inquiry of her childhood terror.

Emma Joy Fretton, now 34, was a pupil at the Northside Christian College where Kenneth Sandilands taught in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

Sandilands was jailed for two years in 2000 for abusing eight children.

A hearing of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual abuse is looking at what the church now known as Encompass Church and the Assemblies of God - the umbrella body for Pentecostal churches - handled allegations against Sandilands.

From 1983, Sandilands taught grades one to four at the college and evidence before the commission indicated that there were complaints from about 30 children in his 10 years there.

Ms Fretton was six was abused for three years by him.

On Friday she told how he would touch her intimately and use a wooden paddle on her bare backside if she refused to tell him she loved him.

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"I described how he would hit me on the bare buttocks with a wooden paddle," she said.

"I told her he would often tell me obscene stories and made me say they were true."

Ms Fretton recalled going to meeting with that teacher, Mrs Ann Bown, and a number of men. She was told it would be dealt with and "not to tell anyone".

When she asked if she could be moved to another class, she was told "no".

Counsel assisting the commission Simeon Becckett said in his opening statements that evidence would reveal that Sandilands was reviewed twice in 1987. He was given guidelines the first time and a warning the second, but was allowed to continue teaching.

Ms Freeton said that many former pupils made allegations and joined to bring civil proceedings in 2001 but they dropped away because the school was "cult-like" and their families would be church devotees.

Seven former students settled after mediation and Ms Freeton said she got $225,000 and paid $48,000 in legal costs, but was made to sign a confidentiality clause not to discuss details with anyone.